can any competent garage just stick one of those things into the coolant radiator expansion tank, that looks like a turkey baster and has a red ball in it that measures the amount of etylene glycol antifreeze concentration in the expansion tank and add accordingly? - I reckon with the £349 charge they have to disconnect the 370v DC system , then wait for it to de-energise (think it takes 20 minutes or so) , and have to wear the high voltage stuff to drain out the coolant to replace it and this is where the cost is .... and possibly the long time it has to be booked in for (= more hours more labour charge)

 

Thanks for your reply

 

dont forget it is also 'recommended' to replace the 12v battery after 4 years even if it is working perfectly fine - and then the Brake fluid change after so many years ... this all makes servicing very expensive on the Zoe

 

Coolant is the only one I paid for. Its also used to cool the motor during charging too. As liquids go in the Zoe its probably the one worked the most. Brakes worth getting absorption check rather than replace. Battery just monitor it and keep it topped up in cold times when not using it. But coolant could be the difference between charging and something that goes pop when it gets too hot and an expensive bill.

And yes Renault charge a stupid massive premium to disconnect the HV. Use any other Hevra or EV specialist garage.

 

Thanks for your reply. I will phone a Hevra garage!

 

It’s like £100-150 at a HEVRA

I dont think its needed with the long life coolant in the car, its not exposed to air and as long as it still has its colour its fine. They can test it also.

 

lot different to 350 quid - i wonder if we have anything like HEVRA here in Ireland where I live , shall have to do a search

 

We had this talk a few months ago,
5th Year service
DSG were giving better prices if you really want to get it done but asking them to test the coolant first seems to be the simplest way to call them on their BS.

 

thanks, I’ll ask my trusted garage about checking it.

 

To change the coolant, poor design means that they need to disconnect the drive battery. They need technicians who have been qualified in handling the high voltages involved. They need the proper PPE to deal with the high voltages involved. I'm sure you can find someone who can cut corners on the training and/or the PPE who will do it for you more cheaply.

 

I have removed the traction lock / fuse thing (under the drivers carpet) and drained down the zoe on a couple of times (this is me personally, I am not telling people to do this themselves or promoting people to do it because we are talking high voltages) - so yes I dare say there will be some garages that will skip the wearing of PPE high voltage gear and cut corners.

 

Got a HEVRA garage to change the coolant. £26.22

LOL!

 

wow - fantastic!

 

flippin' eck that is cheap. I know it shouldn't take long but I damn. I assume they aren't getting the old coolant out just by cutting a hose in half and tapping it back together?
If I ran a garage I'd want to charge more than that just to get the car in to the workshop, before doing any work on it.

 

Makes you wonder how thorough a job they'd do with labour at £40 an hour and fluid on top

 

Apparently these guys will come anywhere and do it Cleevely Electric Vehicles | Electrical Vehicles | Gloucestershire

It's the route I'll be pursuing if I'm quoted silly money, as long as it keeps the extended warranty intact (also taking into account the service is due by the end of the month so dependent on warranty terms there could be some urgency)

 

£393 for A service and coolant change with DSG

I'd possibly have swallowed it for the peace of mind regarding extended warranty etc, but I know they don't tend to guarantee same day completion when it's a major one like this and won't provide a courtesy car during covid. I don't fancy my chances on public transport at the moment due to living arrangements. So I think I'm going to have to start diverging from the "visit the main dealer every year" routine. £400/year to maintain a £300/year warranty is getting to the sort of extremes where I could just save up for a spare Zoe. Okay not quite, but it feels like it sometimes.

Will see how I get on with an enquiry to CleevelyEV... I do want to maintain extended warranty though (which DSG advise me does make the coolant change mandatory)corrected, see below so will need some assurance there.

 

£393 for A service and coolant change with DSG

I'd possibly have swallowed it for the peace of mind regarding extended warranty etc, but I know they don't tend to guarantee same day completion when it's a major one like this and won't provide a courtesy car during covid. I don't fancy my chances on public transport at the moment due to living arrangements. So I think I'm going to have to start diverging from the "visit the main dealer every year" routine. £400/year to maintain a £300/year warranty is getting to the sort of extremes where I could just save up for a spare Zoe. Okay not quite, but it feels like it sometimes.

Will see how I get on with an enquiry to CleevelyEV... I do want to maintain extended warranty though (which DSG advise me does make the coolant change mandatory) so will need some assurance there.

I've just been quoted £69 for brake fluid and £129 for coolant change with a local HEVRA garage.

I'm never taking mine to Renault again.

 

I've now had a much more reasonable quote from DSG, clarification on the warranty status (not automatically void but quite reasonably, if something fails that is down to not having it changed then it can be void), cover car etc so it's all good. A little more than a HEVRA but I am willing to pay a little extra for the official stamp and peace of mind - just not 400 quid

An "economy coolant change" apparently but still sufficient.

At a certain age I would probably drop the warranty and relax a bit on servicing but 5 years old is not that time yet IMO and I still want it to keep a good value for if I decide to go to a ZE40 or 50 at some point

 

Yeah, I'm looking to sell my 2016 Zoe and upgrade to a ZE40 or 50 at some point in the near future so for me keeping the warranty and service history is a must.

Still unsure whether to buyout the battery lease or not, wish I had done it a couple of years ago to be honest but now I'm not so sure.

 

We're in exactly the same position. Looking to move it on this year (probably for a '40) and uncertain whether to buy the battery or not. I guess if it goes to a Renault dealer, it doesn't matter.

 

Local Renault garage just quoted £199 for coolant change even though it was already in for a service🙁. Halfords (I know) have accepted a booking for £39.99 for the same job. Apparently all Halfords have an EV trained technician 🙂

 

... and Lo, when I showed up with Zoe this morning, they would not, could not do the job!
The guy said that they would need special fluid from Renault and that it was a waterless cooling system i.e. 100% coolant (glycol?). He conferred with his hybrid trained technician before confirming their inability to get on with the job. He apologized for the time wasted and he will refer back to head office.

 

The battery is air cooled, as I understand.

However the motor and inverter is water cooled.

Glycol is generally always diluted with water.

To be honest I wouldn't worry about the coolant change.

 

At least he didn't bung it in your washer reservoir.
Do NOT go to Halfords without speaking to the guy that will be doing the work first.

 

That's going to make a mess!

Just be grateful he didn't top up your brake fluid as well.

 

TBH, I was favourably impressed by the guy that I talked to at the workshop. He wasn't going to do anything unless he had a procedure and the right materials to hand.
Halfords are aware of the rise of the EV and they can't afford to refuse all work on them. Changing the coolant should be within their capabilities IMO.
The battery is air-cooled as @cah197 said. This makes it somewhat less urgent.
The car is 5yo and is, therefore, on the old warranty terms that only gave 5 years of cover. So, I can't void the warranty but I could still mess up some expensive bits of the car!
Coolant does go off eventually but it will have an easy life in an electric car. I have checked the pH (using a gardening soil tester) and it is still on the alkaline side of neutral.
I will see what Halfords say when they have conferred with their HO.

 

Nitpick: The Q model has a water cooled motor, all the others are air cooled. The electronics are water cooled indeed.

 

Well the cooling air can be extra-cooled by the AC, so yes, it can do vent-only and force-cooled only. Now we're drifting off into the other coolant, being AC gas. The context was (at least to my understanding), the yellow fluid. But hey, I started the nit-picking

 

We have just had the Coolant changed in our Zoe ZE40 at Wicken 4x4 at a total cost of £127.50 all in. They are a HEVRA approved garage. Saved us a fortune over the £399.00 quoted by our 2 local Renault Dealers. It took 2 hours and we went for a lovely walk down to Wicken Fen...from the garage to the Wicken Fen visitors centre is just over half a mile or 15 minutes. After picking the car up we drove 2 miles to a great riverside pub called the "Five Miles From Anywhere No Hurry Inn" and spent some of the savings. All in all a great day out and saved £242......result!!

 

Arnold Clark done mine for £88.50...i hadn't asked for it during my 5th service. They just offered it...so I took it...it was all done. And I have the receipt to prove it. Yes...they did the battery lockout as well.

 

I got a price back in ( June 22 ) from DSG for both Brake fluid and Coolant to be done at the same time for £420
plus they would do any updates due while the car is locked out.

 

Mine is due for the coolant change end of this month. Extended warranty (about to be renewed) says:

"Servicing It is a condition of the warranty that Your Vehicle is maintained in good condition, and
serviced in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. A maximum allowance of 1,000
miles either side of the stipulated service schedule mileage and one month either side of the stipulated
service time period is permitted. Failure to comply with this requirement may invalidate the warranty.
Service receipts should be retained as proof of servicing."

I've checked local HEVRA dealers shown on the HEVRA website and only one of these actually mentions EVs on their website which doesn't give me much confidence!

 

i had the Coolant checked in June 2022 but not changed and i had a warranty claim for the shockers in july 2022 without a problem ( extended warranty )
hope to get both done ( coolant & brake fluid early next year 2023.

At the moment i have a leak on the driver side ( Door / Roof seals ) plus water ingress is not covered by extended warranty anyway.

 

So I had my coolant changed today at a HEVRA garage (CSN Autos in Wymondham, Norfolk, friendly fast service) cost £140. Assume they locked out the battery as my Europe map started misbehaving on the way home. Map now sorted after a factory reset of R-Link but I've lost LIVE services and connection to the app which was OK prior to the reset.

 

Good Price
Plus we will be down that way in May for a week

Did a price by email at a HEVRA garage in Leeds reply below :

Hi thank you for your enquiry
Coolant change is £90 and brake fluid change is £150 all plus vat


I might ring them to double check the price 🤞

 

To be noticed.
When DIY exchange of the coolant. It is a necessity to do it vacuum style. Otherwise, will/might air be locked in within the cooling system (read that as cooling the electronics), Which can get the electronics to overheat... Also, Renault has some "magic" anti-corrosion stuff in its coolant. So it is suggested to only use that OEM stuff for that job.
Search Amazon for "vacuum coolant refill tool" It requires an air compressor to work.

Brake fluid exchange is a much simpler job, but requires a pressure system that maintains the brake fluid reservoir at about 2.5 Bar overpressure and then it is simple bleeding at the brake calipers.
2.5 Bar is needed, otherwise, all brake fluid is not exchanged in the ABS unit (as have I been told). And it is just common DOT4 brake fluid.
Search Amazon for "brake fluid pressure bleeder"
I wish I had found that brake fluid pressure bleeder sooner in my life, it makes it so easy to change brake fluid now and own your own.